


Odes to Tony Stark

by JenJo



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Author Bucky, M/M, Poetry, WinterIron Spring Fling, oblivious in love, winteriron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:26:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenJo/pseuds/JenJo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The media has discovered a pattern in the poetry published by a certain newspaper; for five weeks, without fail, a poem seemingly about Tony Stark has appeared.<br/>The author is close to Tony, but can Tony see what is right in front of him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Odes to Tony Stark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mortenavida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortenavida/gifts).



> In case it isn't completely obvious:  
> -Tony & Steve met two years ago at a group therapy session, becoming friends outside.  
> -Bucky is Steve's brother.
> 
> Enjoy

“Urgh,” Tony collapsed into the chair opposite of Steve, closing his eyes behind his glasses.

“That bad?” Steve asked, offering a smile as Tony opened his eyes.

“I had two,” Tony sat up, and held up two fingers, “Two of them today.”

“How ever do you survive having people throw themselves at your feet?” Steve deadpanned.

Tony smiled; this was exactly what he needed. The two had met just over two years ago, and would meet a couple of times a week to talk over coffee. Steve brought a bruntness to his observations which Tony appreciated, being too used to people trying to appease him.

In return, Tony listened to Steve talk about everything from art school to what his brother was doing.

“You know, I’m not sure,” Tony shrugged, reaching out for his coffee (whoever got there first would buy for the other.) “Must be my good looks.”

“Or your money.”

“Or my money,” Tony agreed. “How’s your project going?”

Steve made a seesaw motion with his hand. “I have an idea, just got to sketch it out.”

“Then why are you here?”

Steve reached into his bag, and pulled out a journal. “Inspiration.”

Tony eyed the journal warily. “I don’t like that journal.”

“You’re just upset that I used you for inspiration once.”

“You used me as the model for your Icarus painting.”

“It was appropriate.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Are you two already fighting?” Bucky took the seat to Tony’s left, a coffee in his hand. He would occasionally join the pair for these meetings, mainly when he and Steve finished in time to drive home together.

Steve rolled his eyes at his brother. “No Buck. Tony here just reminded me of that painting I did first year-”

“-That appropriation of my face,” Tony uttered under his breath; Bucky smiled at the comment.

“-Which got me the highest marks of the class, AND a scholarship,” Steve finished, raising his cup to Tony. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“If I had known, I would never had agreed to sit for it,” Tony shuddered at the memory. “Sitting still for hours at a time is horrible.”

“I’m sure it is,” Bucky intoned, giving Tony a look. Tony’s eyes widened; Bucky had mentioned several times where he had spent more than  _ hours  _ sitting still.

“Sorry,” Tony apologised. Bucky shrugged.

“Don’t be, it is what it is,” Bucky took a drink from his coffee. “Besides, I’m not here. This is your time together. Just the two of you,” Bucky looked between the pair. “You two friends. Who meet regularly in a coffee shop. Friends.”

Steve waited for Bucky to put down his coffee, before shoving lightly at his shoulder. “Stop it, or we’ll ban you from attending,” He smiled.

“Yeah, you’ll be banned from our club” Tony also smiled, though his was different than Steve’s. Tony was smiling… flirtatiously? Bucky looked down at the table,  _ and was that a blush on his face?  _ Tony shrugged that thought off, blaming the lighting.

“Anyways,” Tony turned back to Steve, focusing on him with a look. “How are  _ they _ ?”

Steve raised his coffee cup, and looked at Tony from over it’s rim. “I have no idea who you are talking about.”

“Sure you don’t,” Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve. Steve turned to Bucky.

“How did he know?”

“I knew there was someone!” Tony cried triumphantly, while Bucky looked at Steve with an innocent expression on his face. 

“I don’t know. Stark is your friend, not mine.”

Steve looked at his brother for another moment, before turning to Tony. “ _ They  _ are fine. It’s been a week since the date.”

“Stop the press!” Bucky exclaimed, holding out his hand in a stop sign. “Steve Rogers has admitted to it being a date!”

Tony joined Bucky in laughing as Steve groaned and held his head in his hands. “What did I ever do to deserve you two in my life?”

“We were born in the same hospital,” Bucky offered.

“We attended the same therapy,” Tony answered.

Steve offered them both a smile, and opened his mouth to reply. His phone began buzzing in his pocket, and he stood up, answering the call away from the table.

“Who’s on the phone?” Tony whispered to Bucky; despite him being on the other side of the shop, Steve had ridiculously good hearing.

Bucky watched his brother for a moment, head tilted in observation. “ _ They  _ are.”

“Ooh,” Tony leaned in conspiratorially, taking a sip of his coffee as the pair watched Steve. “Oh, the smile. That’s how you can tell.”

“Yup,” Bucky answered; the pair jumped apart when Steve made his way back to the table, picking up his bag.

“Sorry, that was…  _ them _ . Their car stalled, and need a lift.” Steve looked apologetic. “Sorry about cutting our thing short. You right to get home Buck?”

“No problem,” Tony waved it off. Bucky shrugged.

“I’ll manage.”

Steve apologised again, before leaving the shop. Bucky slumped down in his seat, rolling his shoulders.

Tony noticed the change in Bucky’s demeanour. “What’s up?”

“S’nothing,” Bucky grumbled. When Tony raised an eyebrow, Bucky rolled his eyes, sitting up slightly straighter. “I didn’t wear suitable shoes for walking today. And I don’t do public transport. Not looking forward to the walk, is all.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Tony said. When Bucky opened his mouth, Tony shook his head and stood up. “No problem. I’m not going to leave Steve’s brother to walk twenty blocks in the snow. Come on.”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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“Really? Two?”

“Yeah. And that was just  _ today _ !” Tony shook his head as the pair walked up the stairs of the apartment building. To Bucky’s surprise, the walk had been rather comfortable; Tony talked enough for the pair.

“Seriously, at this rate, I will never find someone to date.”

Bucky’s step faltered slightly, and he tightened his hold on his backpack. “Are… are you looking for someone to date?”

Tony shrugged, waving a hand around. “No. Doesn’t matter. I’m not worried. After all, how could I ever be sure that they weren’t just using me to get to the money? It’s not worth the hassle.” Tony offered Bucky a smile. “Bachelor life isn’t so bad, is it?”

“I suppose not,” Bucky answered, avoiding Tony’s eyes. “You know, you didn’t have to walk me to my door,” Bucky opened the door to his and Steve’s apartment. Tony shrugged as he closed the door behind them.

“Again, no problem. I don’t need to be anywhere for,” he looked at his watch. “Uh, fifteen minutes ago. Shit, Pepper’s gonna flay me.”

“Again?” Bucky laughed; Tony’s assistant was often a topic of conversation. In Tony’s words, ‘I love the woman, but there’s a reason she’s the best assistant I’ve ever had’.

“Again,” Tony agreed. “See you around.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said to Tony’s back. Once he heard the door close, he slumped to the ground, holding his hand over his eyes.

“Five breaths,” he muttered, focusing on his breathing. “Five breaths.”

The breathing exercises given to him by his therapist helped focus his mind at times like this. 

The unfortunate truth was that he was in love with Tony Stark. New York’s most eligible bachelor. New York’s richest man. The hottest, most charming, most  _ amazing  _ man Bucky had ever met.

_ And he doesn’t want to date.  _ “Five breaths.”

_ Maybe it’s for the best. Save you the heartbreak when he inevitably leaves you. _

_ They all leave you. _

“Five breaths.”

A moment later, his mobile buzzed with an email from work. Bucky closed his eyes, and waited four minutes before getting his phone out.

 

[Barnes, don’t forget that we need the final poems for the column by six.]

 

Bucky groaned; his writing was a part of his therapy, and he had gotten a job at a newspaper. He had been tasked with creating and moderating the ‘ _ Poet’s Know It _ ’, a daily offering of poems submitted to the newspaper.

He looked at the time, 5.30.  _ Half an hour. _

Bucky got up off of the ground, and went to his laptop. The column was ready to go, he had chosen the poems earlier.

A thought then occurred to him. In writing mode, Bucky opened up the voice to type software, and began composing a poem of his own.

 

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ Fairer than the fairest crown _

_ All the riches in all the lands _

_ Would never compare to holding your hands. _

 

“It’s not going to win me any awards,” Bucky muttered as he sent the poems into the editor, “But it’s a start.”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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Steve knew Bucky better than he knew himself. After everything the pair had been through together, Steve always knew when something was troubling his brother.

It was especially obvious tonight.

When Bucky had got the job with the newspaper, Steve had been happy for him. Writing had been a huge part of Bucky’s therapy, and the job had given him some independence.

Which was why Steve was concerned by the fact that Bucky was curled up on the couch, laptop shoved away, when he had a deadline tonight and Steve knew that Bucky hadn’t finished.

“What’s wrong?” Steve took a seat on the single couch opposite Bucky. Bucky mumbled an answer. “You’ll have to speak up.”

Bucky lifted his head to glare at Steve. “Don’t want to talk about it.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “You finish your work?”

Bucky rolled his eyes, and sat up properly. “No. The laptop won’t work. The speech recogniser won’t recognise  _ anything _ .”

Steve nodded. “Okay. Would you like to use my laptop?”

Bucky nodded; Steve pulled his laptop out of his bag, and handed it to Bucky. “Does your anger at your laptop have anything to do with your crush which you refuse to talk to me about?”

Bucky glared at Steve as he connected the microphone to the laptop. 

Steve held his hands up. “So you’re continuing to not talk about it?”

“It’s not a crush.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Steve looked at the time, and sighed as he stood up. “We’re talking about this later.”

“No we’re not.”

Steve shook his head as he left the apartment.

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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“Have you read the newspaper today?”

Tony laughed at Pepper. “I haven’t read a newspaper in years.”

Pepper rolled her eyes as she handed over a tablet. 

 

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ I am aware of all you own _

_ But own it all or none at all _

_ I will forever be yours to call _

 

Tony looked at Pepper, eyes narrowed in confusion. “Why did I just read a poem?”

“That is the fifth in the series that the media has termed ‘Odes to Tony Stark’.”

Tony laughed. “Odes to Tony Stark?”

“Yes. This newspaper publishes anonymous poems, and certain elements of the media have identified a clear pattern over the last five weeks. You are the object of someone’s affections.”

“Are you sure that this isn’t just the media being the media?”

“This was brought to my attention by our PR team, who use the algorithm that you wrote to find articles about you, so I would say that this is legitimate. Someone is writing about you.”

“Show me the others.”

 

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ You are the talk of the town _

_ The honour to be with you? _

_ Why, that would make my dreams come true _

_ \--- _

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ You leave my heart beating up and down _

_ Any time I see your near _

_ You leave me smiling without a care _

_ \--- _

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ Why are you so prone to frown? _

_ Despite the glamour of your life, _

_ Is there something causing you strife? _

 

After reading them, Tony could see the pattern. “Alright. What do we do?”

“PR says there’s nothing you have to do. Let it run it’s course.”

“And what do you say?”

Pepper smiled at Tony reassuringly. “I say someone close to you is writing these. Might be worth keeping an eye out.”

“What makes you say that?”

Pepper took back the tablet, to read the lines. “‘Why are you so prone to frown?’ You never frown in public, only around those you trust. ‘Any time I see you near’ suggests someone who sees you regularly, not just a random person. ‘All the riches in all the lands, Would never compare to holding your hands’ suggests-”

Tony held up a hand. “Okay, I get it. Someone close to me is writing me poems. But  _ why _ ?”

Pepper smiled, putting the tablet down and focusing on Tony. “That is for you to figure out.”

  
  


/////\\\\\\\\\

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“You know, you haven’t complained about people wanting to sleep with you recently. You okay?” Tony commenting on people wanting to date him comprised about 30% of his discussions with Steve, so the lack of it had Steve concerned.

“Had other things on my mind recently,” Tony replied vaguely. Steve hummed.

“The poems.”

“You been reading them too, huh?”

“They are certainly interesting. The question is, who is your secret admirer?”

“Well, that is the question.”

“What’s the question?” Bucky asked, sitting down and joining them. 

“Tony’s secret admirer.”

Bucky covered his face with his cup, watching Tony for his reaction.

His reaction was to roll his eyes. “It’s not a secret admirer. For all I know, it’s you who is writing them.”

Steve scoffed. “I paint, I draw, what I do not do, Mr Stark, is write. That’s what I have Bucky for.”

Tony turned to Bucky. “That’s right, you work for a newspaper. What is your opinion on my secret admirer?”

Bucky stalled for time by putting down his coffee, suddenly glad that he’d never told Tony  _ which  _ newspaper he worked for. “If they’re going for anonymous, it’s for one of two reasons. One, they’re protecting their identity. Or two, they're protecting your identity.”

“Well, that second reason failed.”

“Not necessarily. There is speculation that it is you, but no confirmation. Without an author, there will only ever be speculation.”

“Huh, never thought of it like that. Makes sense. Hey, did you know that 0.142857142857 is a haiku?”

Bucky blinked at Tony, confused by the change in conversation. “What?”

“Divide five by seven by five,” Tony spread his hands out in front of him. “Haiku.”

“And what does that have to do with the poems?”

Tony shrugged, looking away from Bucky in order to clean his glasses (or to avoid looking into Bucky’s eyes). “A haiku is a poem. I read that fact earlier today, and I thought of you.”

Bucky nodded, before looking into his coffee cup, hoping that the blush on his face wasn’t too noticeable behind his hair.

Steve watched the interaction with a small smile on his face, piecing together the evidence in front of him. (The blush wasn’t as unnoticeable as Bucky had hoped).

Steve pulled his journal out from his bag, and began writing in it.

“I’m always suspicious when you start writing around me,” Tony observed. Steve ignored him.

“Don’t be,” Bucky replied. “The guy writes all the time. Sometimes it just says ‘plums’. Or ‘I need to go to  _ their  _ house tonight.’ Not always bad.”

Steve shook his head,  _ if only they knew.  _ He had just written out an idea for his next assignment;  _ The oblivious lovers, who see everything except what is right in front of them. _

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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When the pair got back to their apartment, Bucky ‘liberated’ Steve’s journal from his bag.

“‘The oblivious lovers’? Where’d you get that idea?”

Steve turned around and faced Bucky with narrowed eyes, also holding out his hand. “Stop doing that.”

Bucky shrugged, throwing the journal back to Steve. “So?”

“You and Tony.”

Bucky turned away, walking into his bedroom. Steve frowned; normally Bucky was more defensive of these sorts of things. Steve walked to stand in the doorway of Bucky’s bedroom; Bucky was lying face down on his bed.

Steve’s eyes widened. “You’re in love with Tony.”

Bucky lifted his head, and blinked at Steve. “What?”

“Oh my god, how did I not see this? You’ve been writing him those poems.”

“Steve-” Bucky sat up, but Steve held up a hand, sitting on a chair in Bucky’s room. 

“Don’t even try. I’ve known you forever. I’d recognise your writing anywhere. You love Tony, and are the writer of those poems.”

Bucky’s shoulders dropped, resignation evident. “Yeah, I am. And I do.”

Steve sobered up, and changed his tone of voice. “How long?”

“How long is a piece of string?” Bucky joked, before shaking his head. “After that meeting, when you brought him to the coffee house that first time.”

“Buck, that was two years ago. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know!” Bucky threw his arm up in exasperation. “How do you go, ‘Hi, I’m your friend’s brother and I really want to date you’?”

“That sounds alright.”

“Remind me how long it took you to ask out  _ them _ , Steven Grant.”

“James Buchanan, do you really want to go down this road?”

Bucky looked down at his hand, playing with a loose thread on his pants. “No.”

“The question now is, what are you going to do?”

Bucky looked up at Steve, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare say anything to him.”

“Hey, I won’t.” Steve moved to sit next to Bucky on his bed, and threw an arm around his shoulders. “But you should.”

Bucky shook his head. “He’s not interested in dating anyone.”

“How do you know?”

“He made a comment.”

“A vague comment in reference to a specific situation?” When Bucky nodded, Steve laughed. “Buck, you know Tony. He says a lot of things to appear one way. You should ask him out.”

Bucky sighed, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder. “I’ll think about it.”

Steve squeezed Bucky’s shoulders. “That’s all I ask.”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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Bucky opened the door, about to leave to go grocery shopping, when he almost walked right into Tony, who had been about to knock on the door.

“Stark? What are you doing here? Steve’s not home.”

Tony walked past Bucky into the apartment. “Not here to see Steve,” Tony got himself a bottle of water from the fridge, before sitting at the kitchen bench and pointing at Bucky. “Here to see you.”

“Me?” Bucky stood in the kitchen opposite Tony. “Why?”

“Steve asked me to take a look at your laptop? He said that your work IT department is crap...” Tony trailed off, noticing Bucky’s expression. “He said he told you.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, moving to get his laptop. “Well, he didn’t.”

“Sounds like Steve,” Tony observed. Bucky laughed.

“Damn right, Stark,” Bucky handed over the laptop. “I was actually about to go get some stuff for dinner, do you mind?”

Tony shook his head, already getting to work on the laptop. “No, though I assume that I can stay for the food?”

“Of course. Now, the battery on that thing has been fritzing lately, and the display is bad. Also, the voice to type recognition software is shot.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back in around an hour.”

“Sure thing.”

After twenty minutes, Tony had fixed the battery (It was sitting loose) and the display (quick twist of the circuit board. Child’s play). 

That just left the voice to type recognition software. In order to see what the problem was, Tony decided to first give it a try.

The laptop opened to the last viewed file, titled ‘Bronze hair, brown eyes’.

Tony didn’t mean to read it. But, with a title like that, what was he to think?

There were dozens of poems, all starting the same way.

“Bronze hair, brown eyes,” Tony whispered to himself, recognising the latest poem. Before he could do anything, he heard the door being opened. Tony closed the file, and brought up a command prompt screen.

“Still going Stark? I thought you’d have it all fixed by now,” Bucky said as he entered the kitchen, taking the backpack off of his back and unloading it.

Tony typed for a moment, before closing the laptop. “Turns out, I... need some... things from home. So, I’ll just… Go. Home.” He got up, and began walking out of the apartment. “Sorry about not staying.”

Bucky blinked at the spot Tony had been sitting at. “What? Since when did he stumble over his words?”

Bucky looked at his laptop; everything had been fixed. “What the hell?”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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Tony sat on the ground of the building’s lobby, head in his hands.  _ Bucky is my mysterious admirer?  _ He thought.  _ But he hates me? _

The revelation wasn’t unwelcome; Tony had had a crush on the man ever since he walked into that coffee house two years ago.  _ But in the way one has a crush on a celebrity- you know it’s never going to happen. _

(Yes, Tony saw the irony in his thoughts.)

Then the darker thoughts crept in.  _ What if it is a joke? Someone’s paying him to get my hopes up.  _

_ Come on Stark, people try to get into your bed all the time. Why is this any different? _

_ Because you want this one to succeed. _

_ Someone  _ has  _ to be paying him. Yeah, no way  _ Bucky  _ would want to date you. _

Tony shook his head, hands shaking as he pulled out his phone.

_ “Tones”  _ Rhodey answered after two rings; when Tony didn’t immediately answer, Rhodey sounded worried.  _ “Tones, what’s wrong?” _

“I… no, I don’t want to say it over the phone. You busy tonight?”

_ “Your place?” _

“Thanks Rhodey. I’m going to invite Pepper too.”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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“So you have a crush,” Rhodey summarised, “A requited crush.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Tony muttered, shaking his head. “He’s Steve’s brother.”

Rhodey blinked at Tony. “And?”

Tony sighed. “He’s  _ perfect _ .”

Rhodey raised an eyebrow.

“Well, not  _ perfect _ . No one’s perfect. Well, I am-”

“Tony.”

“He’s perfect for me!” Tony exclaimed. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Pepper said as she entered the room, and took a seat next to Tony.

“He’s perfect for me,” Tony repeated softer. He turned to Pepper.  “Eyes of bronze, hair of brown. I found him,” Tony croaked, voice cracking.

Pepper’s eyes widened. “And?”

“And I know him,” he sat up straighter, turning to face Pepper properly. “And now that I think about it, the signs have been there for a while. Even before these poems started.”

“How long?”

“Two years, give or take.” 

Pepper covered her mouth, while Tony laughed. “But what if it’s all a ruse? What if I’m being used? What if I’m only seeing what I  _ want  _ to see?”

“What do you want this to be?” Rhodey asked.

Tony let out a breath,looking at Tony. “I want this to be genuine.”

“And what did he say about writing the poems?”

“He doesn’t know that I know.”

“Tony…”

“Before you start Pepper, it was an accident. I was asked to have a look at his computer, see if I couldn’t fix it. Accidently opened a file, where the poems were. And unused ones. The guy is a writer, it’s… it’s… I want it to be true.” Tony ran his hands over his face. “Thinking about it, there’s things which  _  could  _ be seen as romantic. But, what if I’m only seeing them because of the poems?”

Pepper thought for a moment, before coming up with a solution. “Write a poem.”

“What?”

“Submit a poem. If he asks you about it, say that I did it for you.”

“I can’t write a poem. The guy is a great writer.”

“I’ll help you.”

“This is a good plan Tony,” Rhodey offered. Tony looked at his friends, before letting out a breath.

“Alright. Where do we start?”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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“Shit.”

Bucky stared at the latest submission to the column.

“What’s wrong Buck?” Steve asked, reading a book on the opposite couch. When he didn’t answer, Steve put down his book and sat up. “What is it?”

“He knows.”

“Fantastic. Who knows what?”

Bucky shook his head, before turning the laptop around so that Steve could read it. 

 

_ Hair of black, eyes of grey _

_ With you my heart will stay _

_ How has it taken me so long long _

_ To see you, there so strong _

_ By my side all these days _

 

_ Hair of black, eyes of grey _

_ With you my heart will stay _

_ If this is the truth, let me know _

_ Give me the chance to be your beau _

_ I will be yours in many ways _

 

Steve’s eyes widened after each line that he read.

“Wow. What are you going to do?” Steve asked as Bucky closed the laptop. Bucky shrugged.

“What can I do? I’m seriously considering taking a travel assignment.”

Steve gave Bucky a no-nonsense look. 

“What?”

“You can’t avoid this.” Steve then raised an eyebrow. “Tony isn’t going anywhere, and neither are you.”

Bucky looked at Steve, before curling up on his chair, and covering his head.

“Come on Buck. Is this such a problem?”

Bucky lifted his arm, which had been covering his eyes. “Yeah, it is.”

“How? You like him, he likes you, why don’t you do something about this?”

Bucky sat up, leaning forward towards Steve. “Because what if he  _ doesn’t  _ like me, and is just playing me?”

Steve shrugged. “I rather doubt it.”

“But you don’t know for sure that he likes me.”

“You don’t know for sure that he doesn’t.”

Bucky closed his mouth, unable to counter the argument.

Steve stood up, and opened up the laptop for Bucky. “Why don’t you write a reply. He’ll see it tomorrow, and give you an opening.”

Bucky thought for a moment, before nodding. “Alright. Do you mind?”

Steve shook his head, retrieving his headphones so that Bucky could work without him overhearing.

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ I know you see me around town _

_ I also know you see right through me, _

_ And I can no longer let that be _

 

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ I know I am no Sir Thomas Browne _

_ But if you allow me this dream _

_ I know you are also not who you seem _

 

_ Eyes of bronze, hair of brown _

_ And thus begins the countdown _

_ When next I am to see thee _

_ I trust your eyes will finally see _

 

Tony was calling Pepper before he finished reading. “Pepper, have you-”

_ “Seen the paper this morning which published your poems, as well as your admirer’s back to back? Yes.” _

Tony smiled, even though Pepper couldn’t see. “So what do I do?”

_ “Go see him, and talk. Good luck.” _

“Thank you Pepper.”

 

/////\\\\\\\\\

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When the sound of knocking echoed through the apartment, Steve and Bucky reacted the same way they always did: staring at each other until one of them blinked.

It was Bucky who blinked first. Steve smiled, and curled his feet under his legs as he continued to sketch.

Bucky, the mature adult that he was, stuck his tongue out as he walked past.

“It’s you.” Bucky stood in the doorway, holding the door open.

Tony shuffled his feet nervously. “Yeah, it’s me.”

They stood there, watching each other, neither making a move.

“Oh for the love of,” Steve called out from inside the apartment, walking up and standing behind Bucky. “Don’t just stand there. In fact,” he pushed past Bucky, and pushed Tony into the apartment. “I’m going out. Don’t wait up.” Steve pulled the door shut behind him.

Tony and Bucky stood opposite each other, still staring at each other.

“So, uh.” Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “Hi?”

Bucky snorted a laugh, before holding out his hand. “Bucky Barnes, nice to meet you.”

Tony looked at Bucky’s hand, before looking at his lips. “Fuck it.”

As Bucky opened his mouth to respond, Tony reached out to pull Bucky’s face closer, before pressing their lips together.

Was it the kiss of the ages? Not by a long shot. Not even the top ten.

It was far from perfect. But for the man who has always had to appear perfect, and the man who hasn’t seen himself as perfect in years, it was…

_ Perfect. _

What broke them apart was the need for air. Tony pressed their foreheads together, one hand on Bucky’s shoulder and the other on his waist. Bucky’s hand rested against Tony’s cheek.

“So, that’s a thing that just happened,” Tony smiled. Bucky laughed, pulling his head back so that he could look into Tony’s eyes.

“Yeah, it did. A good thing?”

Tony gave Bucky a quick kiss, getting rid of the worried frown that was beginning to appear on Bucky’s face. “Good thing. Definitely a good thing. Though, as a scientist, I must insist on further experiments. Purely for science, of course.”

Bucky smiled against Tony’s lips. “For science, of course. How could I resist science?”

_ How could I resist you?  _ Bucky thought as the pair began to kiss again.

 

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The final poem in the ‘Odes to Tony Stark’ series was published a year and a half later, composed by both Bucky and Tony.

 

 _Eyes of bronze,_ **_eyes of grey_**

 ** _Hair of brown,_** _hair of black_

 ** _If you permit,_** _if I may_

 ** _I_** _will_ ** _always_** _have_ **_your_** _back_

 

**_Yesterday, tomorrow, today_ **

**_And any other time_ **

**_By your side I will stay_ **

**_Through all the summers, and through every wintertime_ **

 

_ Iron runs through your veins _

_ My love runs through my core _

_ Though I may never match your brains _

_ Life with you will never be a bore. _

 

**_Though we have known each other for many years_ **

**_It feels like a brand new chapter_ **

**_Wiping away all my past fears_ **

**_Of my heart you are the captor_ **

 

_ And you alone hold the key _

_ To this heart of mine _

_ You bring out the best that I can be _

_ Our futures are forever entwined _

 

**_All the riches i_ ** _ n all the lands _

_ Would never compare t _ **_o entwining our hands._ **

_Eyes of bronze,_ **_eyes of grey_**

 ** _Hair of brown_** _,_ _hair of black_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it was enjoyable. The prompts were great, and this one just called to me.  
> (To the tune of many more words. Had to stop myself.)  
> Writing poems is fun. Writing WinterIron is fun. Therefore, of course writing poetry about WinterIron would be fun.  
> Happy Spring Fling everyone :)


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